Combating Syndrome X (Metabolic Syndrome)

The following article on combating Syndrome X (Metabolic Syndrome) is by world renowned raw food expert and author David Wolfe.

Beating Syndrome X (Metabolic Syndrome)

According to the 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Survey Examination Survey, about two thirds of the United States’ adult population is overweight – and fully one third of this group is obese. The percentage of overweight adults in the US increased from 44.8% to 65.2% from 1960 to 2002. During the same period, the level of obesity increased from 13.3% to 30.5%.

Somebody asked me why I believe we have an epidemic of obesity. That’s when I thought it would be important to discuss Syndrome X as this could be a syndrome that either ourselves or our loved ones are suffering from without knowing it. With more understanding about Syndrome X we create compassion for ourselves and others as well as gain greater understanding of how to strategically overcome Syndrome X with patience over time.

What is Syndrome X (Metabolic Syndrome)?

Decades of consuming conventionally-grown food, pesticide-sprayed and artificially-fertilized food, chemical preservatives and sweeteners, as well as literally being sprayed with chemicals beginning with DDT and automobile exhaust and now chemtrails has, over time, given rise to the development of a new syndrome, now known as – Syndrome X. It has been estimated that as many as 47 million Americans may be dealing with Syndrome X.

Syndrome X (or Metabolic Syndrome) is characterized by the inability to budge one’s metabolism no matter what techniques are tried. Syndrome X’ers usually have the following symptoms:

1. Obesity (this is usually to such an extent that the individual has, in their heart, “given up.”).
2. Thyroid disorders (likely caused by exposure to radioactive elements in the biosphere such as Uranium 238. Radioactive elements have been detected in conventional dairy products).
3. Pre-diabetes hypoglycemia or diabetes type II (likely caused by too many refined carbohydrates, chronic mineral deficiencies, years of consuming toxic factory-farmed meat products, and the intake of trans-fatty acids over a lifetime).
4. Immune System disorders (getting flus and colds each season may not sound like a disorder, but it certainly is symptomatic of a deficiency of the immune system due to Improper nutrition and vitamin and mineral deficiencies. With proper nutrition and a clever strategy as well as natural factors such as exercise, fresh air, and sunlight, we should be able to avoid all flus and colds. Immune system disorders felt by Syndrome X’ers appear to be getting worse).
5. Low energy – Due to carrying extra weight and a toxic burden, as well as interference in ATP production due to improper nutrition (lack of zinc) and heavy metal exposure many Syndrome X’ers have to resort to stimulants such as coffee and cigarettes to keep going.
6. Inflammation – This is likely caused by an elevated nanobacteria count (nanobacteria are calcium-forming organisms like microscopic clams that initially cause inflammatory problems and eventually form the calcium blockages that lead to a heart attack or stroke as well as arthritis. The likely source of the overexposure to nanobacteria is factory-farmed meat products such as chicken, pork, and beef). Nanobacteria find it easier to grow in acidic tissues filled with trans-fatty acids, heavy metals, and synthetic chemicals.
7. Reliance (or addiction to) one or more pharmaceuticals. In a “Drug Free America” it is amazing how many people are addicted to “legal” drugs.

Dissolving Syndrome X

The way to move Syndrome X off of one’s metabolism is to spend focused attention on the four following areas over a period of months or even years:

1. Shifting to an alkaline, balanced diet of organic, enzyme-rich, raw and living foods, tonic herbs, and superfoods.

All the symptoms of Syndrome X are associated with hyper-acidity. This has been caused primarily by consuming junk food and non-organic food, eating chemicals, as well as an overall focus on a “root (potato products), seed (bread products), muscle (meat, chicken), glue-like (pasteurized dairy) diet.” The “root, seed, muscle, glue diet” lacks certain key foods that create alkalinity (or more specifically) an acid-alkaline balance.

The alkaline-forming, organic, raw foods that can be added immediately to balance out this type of diet include:

• Vegetables
• Superfoods
• Herbs(especially the Medicinal Mushrooms)
• Seaweeds
• Sprouts
• Grasses (wheatgrass)

2. Detoxifying and cleansing the acidity present in the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of ourselves.

Acidity can also be created by other factors than food that should be cleansed in a step-by-step manner. These acid-forming factors include:

• Chronic dehydration - In order to remain hydrated both pure water and some full-spectrum salts are required. Discover the best water available to you. Cold spring water at the source is the best type of drinking water. I recommend Celtic Grey Mineral Sea Salt to meet your salt needs. Celtic sea salt should replace rock salts and kiln-dried salts in your home (such Morton’s Iodized Salt).
• Exposure to physical toxins - These toxins include chemtrails, pesticides, auto exhaust, nuclear fallout (depleted uranium 238 from the Iraq and other endless wars), as well as household toxins found in rugs and paint. Liquid Activated Zeolites play a critical role in helping to detoxify ourselves from these dangerous substances. 30-day detoxification systems such as the herbal EJUVA cleanse along with colon cleansing (colonics, enemas) also play a key role in helping our body dump toxins quickly.
• Emotional toxins (parental and spousal abuse and sexual abuse) – This is one of the key aspects of overall healing. Releasing and healing parental and spousal emotional abuse and sexual abuse will do more for improving your diet and life than just about anything else. Working with others (counselors, friends, shamans, spiritual leaders, psychiatrists, etc.) to release stuck emotions is a critical part of the healing process.
• Non-educational media (for example, the nightly news whose goal is to keep viewers hooked by a constant barrage of “shocking” bad news). The news is not the news, it’s the “olds” – the same old bad news. Turn off the news if you want to feel better.

3. Gradually stopping the intake of all pharmaceutical drugs.

Iatrogenic illnesses and deaths (caused by doctors due to inappropriate prescriptions and reactions to pharmaceutical medications and addictions) are now considered the third leading cause of death in the United States. The “pop-a-pill” culture drug concept and theory is completely bankrupt and totally incapable of dealing with the monumental challenges created by decades of massively toxic, chemically-sprayed and treated dead food, industrial toxins, charred petroleum debris in the atmosphere and soil, depleted uranium contamination, chemtrails, and massively contaminated municipal water systems (now known to contain drugs such as SSRI’s and synthetic antibiotics that reverse osmosis systems cannot filter out). Start healthy habits and stop taking drugs if you want to feel better.

4. Avoiding recreational drugs such as cigarettes and alcohol.

Abusing recreational drugs has been linked to nearly every health challenge known. Alcohol is a leading cause of dehydration, water retention, candida, bloating, inflammation, liver toxicity, nervous system disorders (schizophrenia), and vitamin B deficiencies.

Cigarettes become addicting because, due to stress (psychological) and poor nutrition (lack of vitamins and amino acids) vitamin B3 becomes deficient. Vitamin B3 or niacin is very closely related to niacinamide, nicotinamide, and nicotine. Nicotine from tobacco has the ability to “substitute” for Vitamin B3 in our metabolism. When we get Vitamin B3 back into our diet, this helps alleviate the desire for tobacco. The highest natural source of Vitamin B3 is the Amazonian Jungle Peanut. With the simple addition of one food like the Jungle Peanuts, relief can be felt from cigarette withdrawals.

David Wolfe’s Recommendations and Why They Help Alleviate Syndrome X

At different events, conference calls, and shows I am often asked what foods and products I specifically recommend to help individuals combat Syndrome X. The first things I recommend are those items listed above; namely to add vegetables, seaweeds, sprouts, grasses, superfoods, and herbs to the diet. To expand a little on the superfoods and herbs, what you will find below is what I select to combat Syndrome X and at least part of the reason why I continue to make these available through Sunfood.com.

Superfoods:

Amazonian Jungle Peanuts- A superb source of Vitamin B3. These peanuts and the peanut butter made from them are also wild foods with a high level of minerals and amino acids.

Cacao Nibs(raw chocolate pieces) – Chocolate always has been the #1 weight loss food due to its therapeutic content of magnesium, chromium, and iron.

Goji Berries – Goji berries are an extraordinarily nutritious, complete protein source. Goji berries taste great and make for a great snack, superfood alternative. Don’t be fooled by non-organic brands that are sprayed with sulfur dioxide. Go organic. Eat organic goji berries.

Maca- Maca helps to activate the glands and the endocrine system. The endocrine system includes the pineal, pituitary, thyroid, thymus, adrenals, ovaries, testicles, etc. Most Syndrome X’ers have glandular deficiencies (usually the thyroid). In addition, maca is excellent at increasing overall vitality and vigor. When maca is an aphrodisiac for you, then you know it is working.

Ocean’s Alive Marine Phytoplankton – This is the only bottled food product in the world that contains all known minerals. Mineral deficiencies cause us to continually eat until we get the minerals we are looking for. Because junk foods contains no minerals, eating them will never satiate the appetite. Mineral-rich Ocean’s Alive Marine Phytoplankton also contains EPA. EPA is an omega 3 fatty acid that is important for a healthy nervous system and brain chemistry. The GLA and phospholipids in the Phytoplankton have anti-inflammatory properties.

Herbs (Medicinal Mushrooms) and Botanical Supplements:

Reishi Gano 161 by Mushroom Science

Lion’s Mane by Mushroom Science

Agaricus H1X1 (the most powerful mushroom supplement available)

Syndrome X is often characterized by high amounts of tissue acidity. In order to create balance, alkaline nutrients, herbs, and superfoods are required. The Medicinal Mushrooms are the most alkaline of herbs. The Medicinal Mushrooms help restore a normal glucose metabolism as well as an active and healthy immune system. The polysaccharides in Medicinal Mushrooms also contain Ormus minerals that help bring “lifeforce energy” and “vitality” back into our bodies.

Beauty Enzymes – No weight loss program would be complete without enzymes. Enzymes are catalysts that help move a “stuck” metabolism. The key factor about raw and living foods and their ability to help get a Syndrome X metabolism going is their enzyme content. Supplemental enzymes like Beauty Enzymes make the difference and that is why the demand for this product is so high we can barely keep up with production. In terms of quality, there is no other product like Beauty Enzymes on the market. Test and you’ll be convinced.

Blue Mangosteen – Blue Mangosteen is perhaps the most potent natural anti-inflammatory botanical product on the market today that also fights debilitating nanobacteria.

DHA Algae Oil – DHA, like EPA, is an omega 3 fatty acid that is important for a healthy nervous system and brain chemistry. Long-chain omega 3 fatty acids like DHA are chronically deficient amongst the population, especially amongst long-term conventional-food consuming vegans and vegetarians.

Celtic Grey Mineral Sea Salt – Celtic sea salt contains four times the mineral content of any other salt including Himalayan salt (which is second best). Celtic salt is much fresher and more “living” than rock salts that come out of the Earth. A pinch or two of Celtic salt to a liter (quart) of drinking water can do wonders to increase your hydration.
Detoxification and Cleansing:

Liquid Activated Zeolites- This the most powerful single cleansing product ever developed. This product is proof that the more problems we face, the more powerful the solutions become. This product is the only product ever proven to remove heavy metals (mercury, lead, arsenic, cadmium, etc.) and volatile organic compounds (synthetically made chemicals that can interfere with a healthy metabolism).

Angstrom Zinc – Syndrome X’ers are typically chronically deficient in zinc. Zinc plays a critical role in energy production as well as detoxification in the human body. Angstrom Zinc comes in an easy to use liquid form. This is the most effective form of zinc we have yet found.

EJUVA – EJUVA is an entirely organic 30-day herbal cleanse that generally is “softer” than most cleanses of its type. It is designed to help turn candida into healthy digestion as well as help assist the healing of digestive disturbances – especially small and large intestine (colon) challenges. EJUVA can assist the removal of toxic, old waste matter from the body. It is common for those on the EJUVA cleanse to lose 20 pounds in a single month.
Psychological Support:

David Wolfe’s 21 Day Peak Performance and Weight Loss Program – If you enjoy the constant support and education provided by a reassuring voice that you can listen to at home, in your car, and/or with your iPod then this 21 Day Program will do wonders for you. Each day you select two cards from two separate decks and follow the instructions from there. This is an innovative, fun audio program
that is guaranteed to entertain, empower, and educate as you lose weight and gain healthy habits.

Raw Food Diet Testimonials

The following raw food diet testimonials are from Sunfood.com. Sunfood is one of the leading retailers in the world for raw food and organic products.

Raw Food Diet Testimonial #1 – Ian (pictured above)

In 2006 I was directed by an ‘Inspired’ Raw Foodist (Bartek) to attend a David Wolfe event in March of that year and since that moment everything began to change dramatically. I was instantly fascinated with the new realization that everyone of us can enjoy health at levels most people have no idea about and also discovered that transitioning to whole live raw food nutrition is a lot simpler than I thought it would be. I am so grateful to be learning more each day about the vast array of amazing ‘Best Ever Foods’ that are totally fun to eat. From the moment I began replacing the lifeless cooked foods with living whole foods and Super Foods, I started seeing changes in every area of my life. Now if I meet an old acquaintance that I have not seen in a couple of years, I have to reintroduce myself to them because they have no clue who I am! This is hilarious… Assimilating the proper foods that resonate with my body awakens me a little more each day which has allowed me to become a part of the growing number of people internationally that lead by example to inspire others to also improve their own lives. The positive energy and influence of people in this lifestyle is profound. Every day brings a new adventure as we get younger and younger. I used to get offered ‘Senior Discounts’ – What?, I now feel like a 21 year old and am erasing one year off of my age every month!! Wishing everyone ‘The Best Life Ever!

Raw Food Diet Testimonial #2 – Radha, London

I need less sleep and I have more energy, I feel lighter, physically and emotionally. Everyone says I look well and people are surprised to hear that I am 55 years old (56 next week) as they think my age is about 40-45. I have lost weight, and my digestion has been great except for the gastric flu, but even that has only lasted a day, I throw off things really quickly since going raw.

Raw Food Diet Testimonial #3 – Catherine Zuppero, Colorado

Raw successes: dissolved and eliminated 2 tumor/cysts (ovarian and breast), varicose veins, gray hair, severe cystic acne, Cushing’s Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, severe anemia (my family has Thalasemia). Since I changed my diet I haven’t suffered ANY symptoms from it, at ALL! And of course my weight became normal (from a FAT Italian to a slim Italian). I recently turned 50 and the gray hair still hasn’t come back. I haven’t even suffered a cold during all these years. Also, painful (16-hour) menstrual cramps disappeared!

Raw Food Diet Testimonial #4 – Julie Wandling, Ohio

I changed my diet Feb. 23, 2000, weighing 315 lbs. at 5’10″, blood pressure at 199/100, super painful back, popping knees, fatigue, heart palpitations, resting heart beat of 110, couldn’t walk far, lift anything, huge gut, huge butt, possible heart attack-severe chest pain and squeezing. Doctor finally wanted to put me on blood pressure pills but I made up my mind to try the Hallelujah Diet. Since making the change I have lost 100 lbs., the heart works great, blood pressure 120/70, yoga has made my back like new, the knees work just fine, went from size 28 or special made to size 16, palpitations and pain gone. I have learned so much! I have my own health ministry, and a mostly raw beginners recipe book coming out soon-at the publisher’s. We have a group of around 100 raw fooders here in Akron now that I teach. I have since become 95-100 % raw and have learned about and practiced fasting several times. I am a caterer by trade and am attempting to switch my customers over to vegetarian and raw menus.

Raw Food Diet Testimonial #5 – Bob Dietz

Hi, my wife and I have what we consider radical changes. I have lost 33 pounds and she has lost 22 pounds in 5 months and we are only a few pounds from our ideal weight now. We are 100 percent raw and that is what did it.

Raw Food Diet Testimonial #6 – Susan Jorg, Oregon

Thanks to raw foods I can breathe freely; a badly mangled hand is whole again; and I’ve become cheerful and outgoing instead of timid and withdrawn. Throughout my childhood, teen years, and early adulthood I suffered from earaches, severe colds, strep throat, sinus infections, bronchitis, and hayfever. Medical doctors removed my tonsils, lanced my ear drums, filled me with decongestants and antibiotics, and talked me into getting painful desensitization shots every other week. But when I eliminated animal products from my diet and replaced them with fresh, raw fruits and vegetables, the change was immediate! My sinuses began to drain. There was steady lessening of pressure in my head. Headaches ceased. Sleep finally came easily, and I awoke refreshed each morning, instead of feeling drugged. I could now breathe freely and didn’t have to shut myself in an air-conditioned room during springtime or battle illness every winter. After a number of years on a mostly raw food diet, I severely mangle my hand in a chop saw at work. The surgeon who sewed me back together told me that he would not have even tried to save my hand if I hadn’t been so healthy! The other members of his team had suggested amputation, but he could tell just by looking at me that there was a chance of healing if he patched together the nerves, blood vessels, tendons, and skin. After the operation my hand healed quickly, without infection and without pain. The doctor told me I would probably never be able to hold all my fingers in a flat plain, but now, four years later, I can. The scar is hardly noticeable, and I currently make my living by typing all day long. But the improvements didn’t stop there. I’d always been very anxious in social situations, often suffering from depression and negativity. With the support of friends who also ate raw foods I finally gave up the 20% of my diet that was still cooked. With the passing of rice, pasta, and potatoes from my menu, a dark cloud lifted from my demeanor. On 100% raw foods my spirit is ignited with a confidence I had never felt before. A positive, joyful attitude is now gently weeding out all those negative cliches I’ve lived with most of my life. Raw Food! It does well for your body and your mind!

Raw Food Diet Testimonial #7 – Mike, Boulder City, Nevada

My name is Mike, I’m 33 years old and a truck driver for 11 years. It’s been very hard on my body. I’ve been suffering from digestive disorders since my teenage years. I’ve had constipation, gas, bloating, and pains in my gut for many years now. In late 97 and early 98 I got really sick with flu like symptoms. I went from 135 to 95lbs in 4 months. I finally decided to see a natural health doctor, I never liked doctors. She gave me herbs and started me on colonics right away. I changed to a vegetarian diet overnight. I still had a lot of problems with my gut and all kinds of different stuff until about 7 months ago a lady at the Wild Oats health food store told me about Sunfood.com. Wow! What a change! I went raw the very next day. I look and feel a lot better. My bowels move every day. I still get a little gas if I combine too many foods and a little constipated if I eat too many nuts. But if I stick to just raw fruits and vegetables I have no trouble. It will still take time for my gut to fully heal because it was so messed up. I believe the best product you have is Sun is Shining(formerly Nature’s First Food). It has really helped me a lot.

The Health Benefits of Raw Chocolate

The following article on raw chocolate is by world renowned raw food expert, author and lecturer David Wolfe. To learn more about chocolate, we recommend you read his book Naked Chocolate: The Astonishing Truth About the World’s Greatest FoodNaked Chocolate: The Astonishing Truth About the World’s Greatest Food.

ca·cao. Pronounced [ka-kow]. Rhymes with “cow.”

Chocolate and Cacao Beans

A total of 1% of the American diet consists of chocolate.  In fact, chocolate is one of America’s most well-loved foods. Yet, uniquely, out of millions of Americans very, very few have ever had the raw food that all chocolate comes from – cacao beans!

All chocolate comes from cacao beans – the seeds of the cacao fruit – which grows on a jungle tree. Botanically, cacao is truly a nut. They may be referred to as cacao beans, cacao seeds, cacao nuts, chocolate seeds, chocolate beans, or cacao nibs – all essentially mean the same thing. For simplicity, we usually use the term “cacao beans.”

Cacao beans taste like dark chocolate, because they are dark chocolate!

In 1753 Carl von Linnaeus, the 18th-century Swedish scientist who developed the plant and animal Latin categorization system, thought that chocolate was so important that he named the genus and species of the chocolate tree himself. He named this tree Theobroma cacao which literally means: cacao, the food of the gods. Just what the indigenous native Central Americans called it.

Edible Money

In ancient Central American cultures, raw cacao beans were actually used as money. Imagine an edible money! When the Spanish came, they called cacao black gold (oro negro) or seeds of gold (pepe de oro).

Montezuma (Motecuhzoma Xocoyotzin), the emperor of the great city of Tenochtitlan (now Mexico city) and of the Aztec empire, had his treasure vaults filled with cacao beans, not gold! The chronicler Francisco Cervantes de Salazar mentions that the Emperor’s cacao warehouse held more than 40,000 loads, which would mean 960,000,000 beans!

The chronicler Motolinia tells us that in his day (shortly after Cortes’ conquest of Tenochtitlan), the daily wage of a porter in central Mexico was 100 beans, which puts into perspective the following partial list of commodity prices in Tlaxcala, from a Nahuatl document circa 1545:

• One good turkey hen is worth 100 full cacao beans, or 120 shrunken beans.
• A turkey is worth 200 cacao beans.
• A hare [jackrabbit] or forest rabbit is worth 100 cacao beans each.
• A small rabbit is worth 30 cacao beans.
• One turkey egg is worth 3 cacao beans.
• An avocado newly picked is worth 3 cacao beans; when an avocado is fully ripe it will be equivalent to one cacao bean.
• One large tomato will be equivalent to a cacao bean.
• A large sapote fruit, or two small ones, is equivalent to a cacao bean.
• A large axolotl [larval salamander, an Aztec delicacy] is worth 4 cacao beans, a small one is worth 2 or 3 cacao beans.
• A tamale is exchanged for a cacao bean.
• A fish wrapped in maize husks is worth 3 cacao beans.

Cacao As A Superfood

Cacao beans contain over 300 chemically identifiable compounds making it one of the most complex food substances on Earth!

Substances in chocolate that have been discussed in the scientific literature as pharmacologically significant, include: anandamide (bliss chemical), arginine (Sunfood Nutrition’s Viagra), dopamine (neurotransmitter), epicatechins (antioxidants), histamine, magnesium, serotonin (anti-stress neurotransmitter), tryptophan (anti-depressant amino acid), phenylethylamine (PEA), polyphenols (antioxidants), tyramine, and salsolinol.

Magnesium

Dr. Bernard Jensen’s research on the heart indicates that this organ requires two minerals more than any other, magnesium and potassium. Magnesium is concentrated eighteen times greater in the heart muscle than in the bloodstream. Magnesium is the primarily mineral missing when heart problems occur. Magnesium increases the overall vigor of the heart muscle. This mineral also decreases blood coagulation thus lowering blood pressure and helping the heart pump more effectively. Cacao, of course, is a fantastic food source of heart-supporting magnesium.

Antioxidants

According to research cited in The New York Times, fresh cacao beans are super-rich in antioxidant flavonols. Cacao beans contain 10,000 milligrams (10 grams) per 100 grams of flavonol antioxidants. This is a whopping 10% antioxidant concentration level! This makes cacao one of the richest sources of antioxidants of any food. Compare the cacao bean to processed cocoa powder (defatted, roasted cacao treated with potassium carbonate) and chocolates which range in flavonol content from the more common concentration of 500 milligrams per 100 grams in normal chocolate bars to 5,000 milligrams in Mars Corporation’s special Cocoapro cocoa powder.

Research has demonstrated that the antioxidants in cacao are highly stable and easily available to human metabolism.

Cornell University food scientists found that cocoa powder has nearly twice the antioxidants of red wine and up to three times what is found in green tea. Their findings were published in an article entitled “Cocoa Has More Phenolic Phytochemicals and a Higher Antioxidant Capacity than Teas and Red Wine,” found in the American Chemical Society’s Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, a peer-reviewed publication.

Scientists have known that cocoa contains significant antioxidants, but no one knew just how rich they were compared with those in red wine and green tea.

The Cornell researchers, led by Chang Y. Lee, chairman of the Department of Food Science and Technology at Cornell University’s New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, N.Y., say the reason that cocoa leads the other drinks is its high content of antioxidant compounds called phenolic phytochemicals, or flavonoids. They discovered 611 milligrams of the phenolic compound gallic acid equivalents (GAE) and 564 milligrams of the flavonoid epicatechin equivalents (ECE) in a single serving of cocoa. Examining a glass of red wine, the researchers found 340 milligrams of GAE and 163 milligrams of ECE. In a cup of green tea, they found 165 milligrams of GAE and 47 milligrams of ECE.

Antioxidant ORAC levels per 100 grams:

• dark chocolate – 13,120
• milk chocolate – 6,740
• prunes – 5,770
• raisins – 2,830
• blueberries – 2,400
• blackberries – 2036
• kale – 1,770
• strawberries – 1540
• spinach – 1260
• raspberries – 1220
• brussel sprouts – 980
• plums – 949
• alfalfa sprouts – 930
• broccoli – 890

The ORAC test examines the antioxidant levels of various foods. The higher the ORAC score, the higher the level of antioxidants present in the food. Source: US Department of Agriculture / Journal of the American Chemical Society

Dairy Products and Antioxidants

Cacao and dark chocolate boost antioxidants; however, the addition of dairy products/milk cancels out the effects of antioxidants. Studies indicate that dairy products specifically block the absorption of all the great antioxidants in chocolate!
Allergies

A recent study showed that only one out of 500 people who thought they were allergic to chocolate actually tested positive. The idea that chocolate is a common allergen has been around for a long time, but recent evidence suggests allergy to chocolate is quite rare. It is more often the case that the person is in fact allergic to milk and dairy products.

Acne

Research by the U.S. Naval Academy concluded that there is no evidence that chocolate causes or exacerbates acne. It is likely that the sugar added to chocolate exacerbates acne.

What we are finding is that chocolate itself is a health food, especially in its raw form as cacao beans. It is the substances added to chocolate that cause the problems: dairy products/milk and sugar!

Methylxanthines: Theobromine and Caffeine

Cacao can increases one’s energy substantially. Cacao does contain the stimulating methylxanthines: theobromine and a small amount of caffeine.

Theobromine

Theobromine makes up between 1-2% of the cacao bean. Theobromine stimulates the central nervous system, relaxes smooth muscles, and dilates blood vessels. Theobromine has about 1/4 of the stimulating power of its sister molecule caffeine.

Theobromine is also a mild diuretic (increases urination) and has been used as a medical drug in cases where a heart attack had resulted in an accumulation of body fluid.

Theobromine is a cardiac stimulant. This is a reason why it has been used to treat high blood pressure. One of the reasons why dogs should not eat cacao or chocolate is because this food can cause cardiac arrest. Dogs simply lack the enzymes necessary to metabolize quantities of theobromine in excess of 100-150 mg per kilogram of the dog’s body weight.

Caffeine

Estimates of how much caffeine is present in cacao differ, depending on the source. However, it generally agreed that chocolate is a poor source of caffeine.

Consider the following estimates we came across in our research:

• A 1.4 ounce-piece of chocolate (40 grams) contains the same amount of caffeine as one cup of decaffeinated coffee.
• A cup of hot chocolate usually contains about 4 or 5 milligrams of caffeine, which is about 1/20 that of a cup of regular coffee.
• According to the Chocolate Information Center, a 50-gram piece of dark chocolate – about the size of your average chocolate bar – will yield between 10 and 60 milligrams of caffeine, while an average 5-ounce cup of coffee can yield up to 175 milligrams.
• 800 grams of milk chocolate (that’s a lot of chocolate!) contains the equivalent amount of caffeine present in a cup of coffee.
• A cup of coffee may contain 50 to 175 milligrams of caffeine, a cup of tea contains 25 to 100 milligrams, and a cup of cocoa beverage contains 25 milligrams to none.

Interesting research on caffeine in the field of homeopathy (a branch of medical science) indicates caffeine’s stimulating effect when cooked, but not when eaten raw. One experiment conducted with a decoction of roasted ground cacao beans in boiling water produced an excitement of the nervous system similar to that caused by black coffee and an excited state of circulation, demonstrated by an accelerated pulse. Notably, when the same decoction was made with raw, unroasted cacao beans neither effect was noticeable.

Phenylethylamine (PEA)

PEA is a chemical in cacao that increases the activity of neurotransmitters (brain chemicals) in parts of the brain that control our ability to pay attention and stay alert. Elevated PEA levels occur when we are captivated by a good book, movie, or project; this happens specifically during those moments when we are so focused that we lose all track of time, food, and the outside world.

PEA is noticeably abundant in the brains of happy people.

Chocolate has been found to contain up to 2.2% phenylethylamine (PEA).

Anandamide (The Bliss Chemical)

A neurotransmitter called anandamide (n-arachidonoylethanolamine), has been isolated in cacao in quantities significant enough to affect the brain. Anandamide is a cannabinoid naturally found in the human brain. Anandamide is a lipid (fat) known as “the bliss chemical” because it is released while we are feeling great.
Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAO Inhibitors)

These rare MAO inhibitors actually produce favorable results when consumed by allowing more serotonin and other neurotransmitters such as anandamide, dopamine, etc. to circulate in the brain. According to Dr. Gabriel Cousens, MAO inhibitors facilitate youthening and rejuvenation.

MAO inhibitors make one younger as they allow more neurotransmitters to remain in the bloodstream. A primary phenomenon that separates children from adults is the level of neurotransmitters in the blood and bodies of children. Generally, as one remains on the planet longer and longer, the level of neurotransmitters decreases. This creates physical rigidity, less creativity, less joy, and more aging! Cacao, being an MAO inhibitor, keeps plenty of neurotransmitters in circulation and thus stops this phenomenon from ever occurring.

Aphrodisiac

As with all languages, the peoples of pre-Columbian Central America often spoke in metaphors composed of words or phrases which, when uttered in sequence, had a hidden meaning. One of these metaphors was yollotl, eztli, “heart, blood,” which referred to cacao.

Chocolate truly is food for the heart – it is the heart’s “blood,” due to its magnesium, antioxidants, love chemicals and esoteric properties. Chocolate, as we know it, is known for its sensual love vibration. Chocolate is the symbol of sensuality, pleasure, and sexuality. Some writers have claimed that 50% of women prefer chocolate to sex! (imagine if they were given real chocolate: cacao beans!)

We have often heard that “chocolate opens the heart” – which is actually true. Chocolate is the gift to all lovers. Chocolates are always given as love offerings. A box of chocolates is one of the most common gifts for Valentine’s Day.

Cacao, because it is unadulterated, has an even stronger love energy. In ancient Aztec wedding ceremonies, the bride and groom would exchange 5 cacao beans with each other.

Sunfood Nutrition’s Prozac (Anti-Depressant Properties of Cacao)

As we have noted, cacao is one of Sunfood Nutrition’s richest sources of magnesium, which is a heart as well as brain mineral. Cacao is also a great source of serotonin, dopamine, and phenylethylamine, three well-studied neurotransmitters, which help alleviate depression and are associated with feelings of well being. Cacao contains monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAO Inhibitors) that improve our mood because they allow serotonin and dopamine to remain in the bloodstream longer without being broken down. Cacao contains anandamide which delivers blissful feelings. Cacao also contains B vitamins, which are associated with brain health. All this makes cacao a natural prozac!

Research by British psychologist, Dr. David Benton at the University of Wales in Swansea, found chocolate to be an excellent mood elevator. When he played sad music to a group of students, their moods sank. He then offered them the choice of milk chocolate or carob (a natural chocolate substitute that is similar in taste). Without their knowing which product they were eating, the participants found that the chocolate raised their moods, while the carob did nothing. Moreover, as their moods fell, their cravings for chocolate increased.

Raw Chocolate

The truth about the health-benefits of chocolate is finally reaching our ears. However, the whole truth should be told. Chocolate is healthy if it is dark with no added dairy products/milk or refined sugar. Even better are raw cacao beans, the “food of the gods” which possess all the magical properties of chocolate without any adulteration or processing! Add real chocolate chips (crushed cacao beans
) to your favorite dessert and watch all heaven break loose! Experiment with, eat, and enjoy real organic cacao beans and you will know why the Mayans and Aztecs used cacao as money! Click here to buy raw chocolate powder, nibs and beans.

Why Organic Food?

The value of organic raw foods, superfoods, and herbs is critically important for a safe, healthy, and happy future for all of us, our children, and our children’s children.  The evidence is increasingly pointing towards an organic future.  So why organic food? And why go organic?  The following is an article on why organic food is better than non-organic food by David Wolfe, one of the leading experts on raw food and nutrition in the world.

Organic Food is Richer in Minerals:

Organic farmers, in general, are more interested than conventional farmers in growing mineral-rich produce.   The famous Rutgers study demonstrated that organic food was superior in the following minerals: phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, boron, manganese, iron, copper, and cobalt.  It all starts with mineral-rich soil.  When more minerals are available to the plant, the plant’s vitamin, polysaccharide, and enzyme content, as well as overall immune system are improved.  When we eat mineral-rich food we absorb the nutrients that made the plant healthy.  We also enjoy more conscious choices and freedom as the cells throughout our body become healthier and more vital. Entire books have been written on how rich soils help build enormous civilizations and how subsequent mismanagement of crops and the soil leads to a loss of soil minerals and the subsequent collapse of these civilizations.

Organic Agriculture is Sustainable:

Organic food production has existed for thousands of years. It will continue as long as humans walk the planet. Organic agriculture is non-toxic (it leaves no permanent toxicity). The pesticide and artificial fertilizer industries are toxic and not sustainable. These industries have covered the entire planet with dangerous chemicals. The story of DDT is known to nearly all of us. DDT went into commercial distribution in 1948. Because of its unsustainable toxicity, DDT was banned in the United States in 1972 and soon after was banned worldwide. DDT is a known neurotoxin and carcinogen. Who was brought to justice after the facts about DDT were revealed? How many people, children, and animals were (are) injured by this chemical? How much longer is it possible to continue to spray the Earth with poisons?

Organic Agricultural Supports being Chemical-Free:

With the explosion of cancer and disease in Western culture, who has the authority to say that any artificial chemicals are safe on our food?

Consider the summary from the following 2003 research article in which pesticide exposure was at least six times higher in the diets of children eating conventional food (as compared to organic food):

“We assessed organophosphorus (OP) pesticide exposure from diet by biological monitoring among Seattle, Washington, preschool children. Parents kept food diaries for 3 days before urine collection, and they distinguished organic and conventional foods based on label information. Children were then classified as having consumed either organic or conventional diets based on analysis of the diary data. Residential pesticide use was also recorded for each home. We collected 24-hr urine samples from 18 children with organic diets and 21 children with conventional diets and analyzed them for five OP pesticide metabolites. We found significantly higher median concentrations of total dimethyl alkylphosphate metabolites than total diethyl alkylphosphate metabolites (0.06 and 0.02 µmol/L, respectively ; p = 0.0001) .

The median total dimethyl metabolite concentration was approximately six times higher for children with conventional diets than for children with organic diets (0.17 and 0.03 µmol/L ; p = 0.0003) ; mean concentrations differed by a factor of nine (0.34 and 0.04 µmol/L) . We calculated dose estimates from urinary dimethyl metabolites and from agricultural pesticide use data, assuming that all exposure came from a single pesticide. The dose estimates suggest that consumption of organic fruits, vegetables, and juice can reduce children’s exposure levels from above to below the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s current guidelines, thereby shifting exposures from a range of uncertain risk to a range of negligible risk. Consumption of organic produce appears to provide a relatively simple way for parents to reduce their children’s exposure to OP pesticides.”

Taken from “Organophosphorus Pesticide Exposure of Urban and Suburban Preschool Children with Organic and Conventional Diets” by Cynthia L. Curl, CL , RA Fenske and K Elgethun. 2003. (www.ehponline.org/docs/2003/5754/abstract.html)

Organic Food is Safer on our Hormone System:

The endocrine or hormone system may be more susceptible to toxicity than the nervous system. A growing body of research is indicating that an inappropriate exposure to certain pesticides during the developmental cycle of growth in humans and animals can cause serious long-lasting endocrine and hormone disorders.

The Environmental Working Group recently published the following statements (www.foodnews.org/reduce.php): “Many pesticides are now considered ‘endocrine disrupters,’ in part because the term is something of a catch phrase for chemicals that cause a variety of changes in normal hormone signaling. Some better known examples of highly toxic endocrine disrupting pesticides are DDT (and its metabolite DDE) which are now known to exhibit much of their toxicity through anti-androgenic (de-masculinizing) properties, vinclozolin, a heavily used fungicide that is also anti-androgenic, endosulfan, a DDT relative with estrogenic properties that is found more often in food than any other pesticide, and atrazine, a weed killer with broad hormonal activity, that contaminates the drinking water of about 20 million people in the United States.

Eating Organic Foods, Superfoods, and Herbs is Safe, Easy, and Fun!

You can grow organic foods anywhere with seeds, nice soil, sunshine, sufficient moisture, smiles, and lots of love. Gardening skills are attractive and sexy and make for a safe, healthy hobby. Organic foods have been proven over thousands of years to be safe to eat.

Conventional foods have been proven over 50 years to be unsafe to eat. I saw a conventional lettuce farmer near Santa Barbara, California climb out of his tractor in a space suit on in order to protect himself from the chemicals he was spraying. Does this sound like progress or a bad horror movie?

Remember, you vote with your dollar. Cutting corners cheats everyone. Let’s vote for organic farmers.

Organic Goji Berries by David Wolfe

“Shazzie, my co-author on our book Naked Chocolate: The Astonishing Truth About the World’s Greatest Food summarized the impact of a current lack of organic goji berries on the world market beautifully in her recent January 2008 newsletter.  Here are her words:

“The 2007 [goji] harvest was [mostly] contaminated with pesticides and therefore cannot be sold as organic. We could import and sell these berries as non-organic but this does not fit with our ethos. This means that there are very few genuinely organic goji berries available in the world now and so please be careful to check your sources if buying from elsewhere.”

We agree with her totally.  Getting organic goji berries from China is difficult, expensive, and requires lots of attention to detail.  Fortunately, we are proud to announce that it appears we have secured enough organic goji berries to supply you and your family in 2008!

You may have seen “wildcrafted” goji berries on the market.  These berries are not wildcrafted (all goji berries sold on the worldwide market today are grown on farms – they are not wild).  These berries are also sprayed with sulfur dioxide.  If you are unsure of your goji berry source, ask for a certificate that demonstrates that the sulfur compounds on the berries are below 20 ppm.  Typical, “wildcrafted” goji berries contain 1200-2000 ppm of sulfur dioxide.  Sulfur dioxide is a chemical preservative that does not meet the standards for a USDA organic certification.

We believe strongly in the ethics of organic farming.  By no means is organic food perfect, but it is certainly a better start than chemical agriculture and genetically modified crops.  At Sunfood Nutrition, just the organic certification alone is not enough, we demand even higher standards in all our bestselling products and do independent testing on our these products.

Here is a list of three past tests on www.sunfood.com’s goji berries:

Organophosphate Pesticides in Soils, Plant Tissue, and Water

Organophosphate Pesticides – None Detected

Naled (Dibrom)
Permethrin
Demeton S
Dichlorvos
Deltamethrin
Mocap

Pirimiphos-methyl
Phorate
Malathion
Phosdrin

Fenvalerate (Sanmarton)
TDE
Diazinon
Pirimicarb
Me-Parathion
Disulfoton
Fenchlorfos

Oxydemeton-methyl
Tokuthion

Dimethoate (Cygon)

Tetrachlorvinfos
Fenithrothion
Fenthion

Dyfonate (Fonofos)
Merphos – B

Imidan (Phosmet)

Dursban (Chlorpyrifos)

Fenamiphos – (Nemacur, Phenamiphos)

Fensulfothion
Phoxim
Sulprofos

Methamidophos (Monitor)
Guthion

Co Ral (Coumaphos)

Carbophenothion
Ethion

Ethyl Parathion

Detection Limit = 0.05 ppm

Water = 0.01 ppm

Detection limit may be higher due to matrix interferences.
Chlorinated Pesticides in Soils, Plant Tissue, and Water

Chlorinated Pesticides = None Detected

BHC-A (Alpha-Hexachlorocyclohexame)

BHC-B (Beta-Hexachlorocyclohexane)

BHC-D (Delta-Hexachlorocyclohexane)

BHC-G (Lindane)

Endrin Aldehyde
Heptachlor

Dylox (Trichlorfon)
Captan
Mirex
Aldrin

Chlorpyrifos-Methyl

Heptachlor Epoxide

Chlorpyrifos (Dursban)

Endosulfan I and II
Methoxychlor

Endosulfan Sulfate
Chlordane
4, 4 DDE
Quintozene
4, 4 DDD
Esfenvalerate
4, 4 DDT
Fenvalerate
Dieldrin

Mavrik (Tau-Fluvalinate)
Endrin
Alachlor
Pyrethrum
Chlorfenvinfos
Cypermethrin

Detection Limit = 0.05 ppm

Water = 0.03 ppm

Detection limit may be higher due to matrix interferences.

Carbamates in Soils, Plant Tissue, and Water = None Detected

Aldicarb (Temik)

Aldicarb Sulfoxide

Aldicarb Sulfone

Carbaryl (Sevin)
Carbofuran

3-Hydroxy Carbofuran
Methiocarb

Methomyl (Lannate)

Oxamyl (Vydate)

Propoxur (Baygon)

Detection Limits = 0.002 ppm in water

= 0.02 ppm in soil and plant tissue

Detection limit may be higher due to matrix interferences.

We believe in protecting our customers by maintaining extraordinary quality standards. Please let us deal with the testing, hassles, paperwork, and certifications, so you don’t have to! That’s our job.”

Click here to buy Organic Goji Berries from David Wolfe now.

Raw Food For Natural Beautiful Skin and Beauty

Having natural beautiful skin comes naturally with eating a raw food diet on a consistent basis.  Having natural beautiful skin doesn’t come from using the right cosmetics, going to the spa frequently, or using the right cleaners, it comes with eating right.

“One of the earliest diets known to man – consisting entirely of raw, plant-based foods-will go down as one of last year’s hottest health, fitness, and gourmet trends.  It is much more than a fad of the moment,” says raw nutrition expert and author David Wolfe. “A raw food diet is now considered a viable way of life for serious health seekers around the world.” The living food movement, led by Wolfe and other high-profile raw foodists, has begun to replace the vegetarian movement as a healthy alternative to the fast food, pre-packaged, fat-laden meals most Americans eat today.

Why Raw?

The raw-food culture is a mix of alternative health devotees, spiritual seekers, and hot trend spotters.  Hollywood is not new to the raw lifestyle-Wolfe has personally counseled actors Alicia Silverstone, Alison Lohman and Woody Harrelson, motivational speaker Anthony Robbins, and model/Playmate Rebecca Scott.  Wolfe and his chef staff have prepared raw feasts for The Grateful Dead, K.D. Lang and Lisa Bonet have attended seminars.

To anyone who eats cooked food, the idea of eating only raw food might seem extremely restrictive, too taxing on your body. Yet there is solid evidence that a living plant food diet eases digestion, boosts energy, and eliminates carcinogens.

As the nation embarks on their New Years’ resolution goals, Wolfe urges people to seriously look at the safety of the Standard American Diet (also known as the SAD diet.) “Fifty percent of the U.S. population dies of heart disease,” he notes, “which is caused by poor diet and is therefore preventable and even reversible with proper diet, as tens of thousands of cases have shown.

“In the next ten years, cancer will surpass heart disease as the number one killer in the United States. We know that the best way to prevent cancer is to limit our exposure to carcinogens. The number one way of exposing ourselves to carcinogens is through cooked commercial food. Raw plant food actually contains anti-carcinogenic nutrients, so it’s an obvious better choice.”

Superfoods and Natural Beautiful Skin

Superfoods are vibrant, nutritionally dense foods that have recently become widely available and which offer tremendous dietary and healing potential. In this lively, illustrated overview, well-known raw-foods guru David Wolfe profiles delicious and incredibly nutritious plant products such as goji berries, hempseed, cacao beans (raw chocolate), maca, spirulina, bee products, and a host of others.

Superfoods are powerful sources of clean protein, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, antioxidants, good fats and oils, essential fatty and amino acids, and other nutrients, they represent a uniquely promising piece of the nutritional puzzle. Each superfood is described in detail, accompanied by easy and delicious recipes. This accessible guide presents persuasive arguments, based on sound science, for the pivotal role of superfoods in promoting nutritional excellence, health and well-being, beauty enhancement, sustainable agriculture, and the transformation of diet, lifestyle, and planet.

In David Wolfe’s book Superfoods: The Food and Medicine of the Future, he describes how to cleanse, nourish, and beautify by utilizing the benefits of a fresh-food diet. Readers can apply the lessons contained within Superfoods to improve their health, vitality, and appearance.

Why Now?

Some suspect that baby boomers are a significant factor – they are getting older and are looking for alternative solutions to their health issues.

Wolfe sees the timing as something more elemental. “Everything in the universe works in balance: Hot/Cold, Boom/Bust, Yin/Yang,” he says. “The raw-food movement represents a movement towards purity, controllability, and accountability of food quality. It balances the “anything goes” philosophy of industrial age and fast food. It represents a beautiful opportunity to step into the future of computer age food that allows us access to the best, instead of settling for less than excellent choices.”"

Learn How To Reserse Diabetes with Dr. Gabriel Cousens

This article is an excerpt from There Is a Cure for Diabetes by Dr. Gabriel Cousens. It gives a great overview of how to reverse diabetes naturally using the raw food diet. If you are serious about learning how to reverse diabetes naturally, we highly recommend you purchase Dr. Cousens book and the movie Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days.

“Yes . . . Type-2 diabetes is a curable disease. From my thirty-five years of clinical experience as a wholistic medical doctor, and that of livefood therapeutic centers since the 1920s when Max Gerson, MD, healed Albert Schweitzer of diabetes with live foods, the fact that diabetes is a curable disease is common knowledge in the live-food community. Diabetes is not a fixed sentence; it is not our natural condition, and has only become a problem of pandemic proportions since the 1940s.This book is about looking deeply at the underlying causes of diabetes on both the pandemic-global and the personal level, and supplying readers with a way to achieve rapid reversal from the misery of a diabetic physiology to a joyous and healthy physiology.

Although many people have a genetic susceptibility to Type-2 diabetes,the true causes (which activate the genetic potential physiology of diabetes) lie in a personal and world lifestyle and diet that pulls the trigger on the diabetes gun. This diabetogenic personal and world lifestyle and diet includes on the level of individual responsibility: a diet high in refined carbohydrates such as white sugar and white flour; high amounts of cooked animal saturated fats; trans-fatty acids produced from cooking (and especially frying oils at high temperatures); lowfiber food; coffee and caffeinated beverages; smoking; a lifestyle devoid of love and exercise; high stress; watching TV programming.

Diabetogenic contributing factors on a planetary level include living in a degraded environment in which the air, earth, and water are, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, filled with 70,000 different toxic chemicals, heavy metals, agrochemicals, and other toxic substances—65,000 of which are potentially hazardous to our health. The Environmental Defense Council reports that more than four billion pounds of toxic chemicals are released into the environment each year, including seventy-two million pounds of known carcinogens. In addition, we live in a mental and emotional environment filled with messages of stress and death from the media, including news of constant wars and terrorism infecting the planet. The degenerate conditions,lifestyle, and diet that create diabetes emanate from these modern human-created realities, which, taken together, we are calling the Culture
of Death.

The cure, on the most profound level, is to move away from a global and personal Culture of Death, to embrace the Culture of Life. On a personal level this means choosing to live in a way that promotes life and well-being for oneself as well as the planet. It means creating a diet and lifestyle in which there is minimal or no incidence of diabetes. Individually, this means a diet that is organic, vegan, at least 80 percent live-food, high in mineral content, 15–20 percent plant-only fat (no animal fat), high-fiber, low-glycemic, low-insulin index, well hydrated, individualized, and prudent food intake—a cuisine that is sustainable for the duration of one’s life, and prepared and eaten with love. Collectively, it means creating a world culture where all people have access to healthy, organic food and water, decent shelter, and a living environment free of chemicals and pollutants. Healing diabetes in this personal and global context is an act of love for oneself and the living planet. This love is an expression of the Culture of Life.

The teaching of this book is that humanity is created to be vibrant, alive, and healthy. As it says in Deuteronomy 30:19 from 3,400 years ago: “Today, I have set before you life and death and a blessing and a curse. You must choose life in order that you and your children shall live.” Things have not changed. We still have that choice.

The inspiration for this book began with a movie on diabetes and live foods that was made at the Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center in Patagonia, Arizona. The original idea was to do a film on the effect of being raw for thirty days. I strongly suggested that it would be more interesting to the general public to witness on film the effect of live foods on diabetic, McDonald’s-Culture-of-Death individuals. Based on my clinical experience in healing diabetes naturally with motivated people, I was confident that these principles and approach would work with this new group of diabetic people. It seemed like an interesting exploration of how it would work for a group of people totally unfamiliar with live-food cuisine and way of life. The results were amazing. Of the six who started the program, only one dropped out. By the fourth day, four were off their insulin or oral hypoglycemic medications, and one Type-1 diabetic was down from 70 units of insulin per day to moving toward the 5 units he reached by the end of the month.

One of the two Type-1 diabetics, who was diagnosed with Type-1 diabetes by doctors in a hospital setting, dropped to a normal blood sugar after two weeks, and has remained there ever since. As of this writing, two years later,he remains cured of Type-1 diabetes. Another participant, who had severe neuropathy in his lower limbs, numbness in his scrotum and feet, was suffering from mental deterioration and confusion, and was preparing to have a foot amputated, recovered completely from the neuropathy and became mentally clearer. The tissue of his foot also healed and his blood sugar dropped to normal range in the first two weeks. Two of the women who had been living with a blood sugar of 300-plus while on medications dropped to blood sugars of 111 and 130 by the end of the month without medications. Most of the other blood chemistries of all of them became normal after one month. Mental state became clear and joyous in all participants.

Make no mistake: To liberate ourselves from the cultural, nutritional,and personal habits that contribute to the manifestation of diabetes is to not only heal ourselves and realize better health, but it is an act of love and consciousness that contributes to a multi-level positive transformation of society. Only one question is left to the reader: Do you love yourself and the planet enough to want to heal yourself of diabetes and help the world switch from the Culture of Death, which is the ultimate cause of diabetes, to the Culture of Life, which brings love, peace, abundance, and health to the planet? With blessings to your health and joy,

GABRIEL COUSENS, M.D.”

How To Combat Soil Depletion Naturally

The following article on soil depletion is an excerpt from Spiritual Nutrition: Six Foundations for Spiritual Life and the Awakening of Kundalini by Rabbi Gabriel Cousens M.D.

Mineral Depletion in Plant Food

There are specific mineral requirements for cell nutrition. The number one mineral is oxygen. It connects the symbiosis between the plant and animal world. It is obvious that calcium is needed for bone production and function of the parathyroid glands; iodine is needed for the function of thyroid; iron is needed for hemoglobin production, etc.

The overall generalization is that all disease stems from the weakening of the organism and subsequent parasitic (virus, bacteria, fungus, bowel parasites, etc.) infections. Adequate mineralization protects us against this disease process by strengthening the biological terrain. One of the problems we began to face early in the 1920s is plant disease arising from soil depletion. For example, a gray spec on oats in caused by deficient manganese. Rosette disease affects fruit trees and is due to zinc deficiency.

The point being, that our plants need the proper nutrition, and when they don’t get it, they are prone to disease just like humans. For healthy plant life, corn requires about 48 minerals and wheat and oats utilize about 36 minerals. Soybeans, apples, pears, and peaches, take out over 30 elements from the soil. Most vegetables, including peas, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, and lettuce require more than 25 elements from the soil. Repeatedly used ground that is not regenerated gets depleted.

The foods that grow in it get depleted as a result, and therefore the humans and animals that are eating those foods also get depleted. In essence, we can say that the soil in the United States, and in probably most of the world, is overworked and underfed. The result is diseased plants and sick animals. This is the result of the failure to replace the elements taken out during the growing cycles. This can be called the law of soil exhaustion.

This imbalance is amplified by creating a glut of food with our high technology, pulling more energy and minerals from the soil than it can offer. The cycle gets worse with the soil becoming further depleted of trace elements and the animals lacking vital essentials for their health. Rain, which was once our friend, and in many ways still is, becomes a problem because the rain further carries out the elements from the soil to the sea.

The increased soil exhaustion creates exhausted and diseased plants, exhausted and diseased animals, and exhausted and diseased human beings. Roughly it’s been estimated, according to Sea Energy Agriculture, that Australia loses about six tons of topsoil per square mile, Europe loses one-hundred twenty tons per square mile, and on a worldwide basis, we lose four billion tons of dissolved material that is carried off to the sea from the rivers each year. The soluble elements are washed off first by the rainwater. This is why sodium chloride is so scarce on the land and abundant in the sea.

The Seawater Solution

What is the solution to growing healthy plants again, and therefore well-nourished human beings? Seawater is the most ancient water solution on earth, and perhaps the most ideal physiologically to re-mineralize the soils.

One of the most exciting research studies that has been done on minerals was done by Dr. Maynard Murray as described in his book Sea Energy Agriculture. Dr. Murray was a medical doctor who truly wanted to get to the essence of what health was about. Murray’s thesis, which he stated in 1976 in Acres USA was, “Life is electrical…There can be no life without a transfer of electrical energy.” Dr. Murray’s thesis was that the center of life’s gravity was the oceans, a repository of minerals from the land, dissolved and carried to Nature’s settling basin via streams, both above and below ground.

His research showed that we needed the right key to unlock the nutrient rich accumulations of trace minerals. Each cell is a little battery that puts out a current. Without this electrical current, the cells could not really work and eventually will die. Murray points out that life started in the sea. Human blood is about 25% seawater, and practically 85% of the life on earth comes from and lives in the sea. Murray’s work was to use the minerals in the sea, which added up to 90 trace elements. He used a diluted saltwater mixture in agriculture orchards, pastures, and gardens. In his book, Sea Energy Agriculture, he points out, “It is possible to build up the immunity to staph, viral, and fungal infections in plants.

How To Live, Eat and Implement A Low Glycemic Diet by Dr. Gabriel Cousens

This article is an excerpt from Spiritual Nutrition: Six Foundations for Spiritual Life and the Awakening of Kundalini by Rabbi Gabriel Cousens M.D.

A Low Glycemic Diet

A low-glycemic diet is one of the key components for health, optimal genetic expression, a healthy living colloid field, stable blood-sugar levels, and a quiet mind. These all support spiritual awakening. The prime purpose of the low-glycemic diet is to prevent the “self-composting button” from being pushed.

Negative environmental stresses, acidity, and a high-glycemic diet create a morbid ploemorphic change from healthy cells and protids to viruses, bacteria, yeast, mold, and fungus which give off microtoxins that begin to break down our living tissue. The self-composting process leads to chronic degenerative disease. There are many potential ill effects from a high-glycemic diet besides activating the self-composting button of chronic degenerative disease.

A low-glycemic diet helps to create a healthy biological terrain, preventing or reversing self-composting and candida. In the context of Spiritual Nutrition it is important to give a brief overview of the important of a low-glycemic diet. It is a diet that minimizes high-glycemic fruits, refined carbohydrates, and cooked starchy vegetables.

Phase I of the Rainbow Green Live-Food Cuisine contains the lowest amount of low-glycemic foods, and therefore accelerates the shutting off of the self-composting button. It consists primarily of raw nuts, seeds, vegetables, oils, and algae.  Because of the stresses in our modern environment and our poor nutritional choices in the past, Phase I is appropriate for most everyone for the first three months. Some people who are experiencing only mild self-composting can start with Phase I.5 which includes a minimum of low-glycemic fruits, low-glycemic condiments, and fermented foods. Once the self-composting button has been shut off, one can move to Phase II.

Phase II is a maintenance diet. It includes moderate-glycemic fruits, and raw high-glycemic vegetables. It is also important to note that low-glycemic foods tend to be higher in minerals. The table below delineates the foods appropriate for each Phase of the Rainbow Green Live-Food Cuisine. In addition, in order to keep your biological terrain, SOEFs, and living colloid field in an optimum energetic state, there are many food which should be avoided in general.

The key point again is that a low-glycemic diet is the most important prevention and treatment. Other important preventative and healing factors include a moderate fat intake and moderate exercise. Minerals and vitamins that are particularly important for healing insulin resistance include selenium, copper, zinc, chromium, magnesium, and vanadium. Proper amounts of B12 are also important for protecting the nervous system against symptoms that occur with insulin resistance.

If someone tends to have obesity, allergies, arthritic troubles, degenerative eyesight and mental function, and an increased rate of heart and kidney disease, one needs to pay attention. We need to communicate positively to our genes by controlling blood sugar and insulin through a low-glycemic diet, exercise, and supportive lifestyle and environment.

Spiritual Nutrition by Dr. Gabriel Cousens

This is an excerpt from Chapter 16 of Spiritual Nutrition: Six Foundations for Spiritual Life and the Awakening of Kundaliniby Rabbi Gabriel Cousens M.D.

“Our food choices reflect the ongoing harmony with ourselves, the world, all of creation, and the Divine.” Conscious Eating, Gabriel Cousens, M.D.

“When Ramana Maharshi, one of the most famous Self-realized sages of modern India, was asked what the most important aid to meditation was, he replied a pure vegetarian diet. He quoted the ancient Chandogya Upanishad D II 26.2 that says “when food is pure, the mind is pure, when the mind is pure, concentration is steady, when concentration is achieved one can loosen all the knots of the heart that bind us.” Yoga tradition, as emphasized by the Chandogya Upanishad, teaches, “The mind is made of food.” It says that the food we take in is divided into three parts. The gross part becomes excrement, the middle portion becomes flesh and the subtle essence becomes the mind.

The mind and body are organically interrelated and our bodily condition strongly influences how we think. Therefore, Yoga includes purification of the physical body as an aid to purifying the mind. The tremendous energy required for such inner transformation is provided by prana, through which we can access deeper levels of vitality through various pranayama (breath) techniques. The foundation of Yoga is purification or detoxification of body, mind, and prana. Although Kabbalah is more focused on purification of the mind, the need for a healthy body is recognized. The great Hasidic master, Israel Baal Shem Tov, who lived in the early 1700′s, is quoted in Tzava’at Harivash, “When the body ails, the soul too is weakened, and one is unable to pray properly, even when clear of sins. Thus, you must guard the health of your body very carefully.”

The great physician, rabbi, and philosopher of the 12th century, Moses Maimonides, is quoted to say, “For it is impossible to understand the subject of wisdom and to meditate upon them when he is ill…the welfare of the soul can only be achieved after obtaining the welfare of the body.” A deep teaching about the importance of the body health on the spiritual path comes from Rabbi Yose, a Mishna sage of ancient times who said, “Let all your deeds be for the sake of Heaven.” Pirkei Avos 2:17 (a highly respected Hebrew text) implies that all we eat and how we live is for the sake of Heaven. It affirms this one’s principle guideline for diet for spiritual life which is: “we eat to enhance our communion with the Divine.”

This teaching is current language that aligns with the teachings of the physician-rabbi-Kabbalist Moses Maimonides in his text Hilchos De’os 4:1, which is: we “must avoid that which harms the body and accustom himself to that which helps the body become healthier and stronger.” In the ancient language, Moses Maimonides points out we need a healthy body in order to have the energy to emulate the ways of the Divine. Proverbs (11:17) says, “A person who does Chesed deeds (of Love) does good to himself.” This ancient teaching can be interpreted that the good a person does for themselves in terms of diet and lifestyle empowers them so they have the health, strength, and resources to give to others.

The basic teaching of Spiritual Nutrition is to eat and live in a way to enhance and sustain our communion with the Divine for at least as long as it takes to be Liberated.”

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